Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1887-03-17
NUMBER SO.

ANo" tohO sout So oul tu'
mountains, and about two O'Clock tn,
old bucks will come in the gIades oil
the mountains to feed" So I started
out. / went to those bald rocks on tn,
south end of the mountain, east of Iron
ton (if you look out of your office yor
will see them). ! climbed up on tn.
south side, and as / reached the top
most rocks saw one of the biggest ole
bucks feeding about the centre of the
glade north of the rocks. I drew dowl
my rifle, and was just beginning tt
feel the trigger when the old fellow
started off as hard as he could go; when
another, then another, and yet anOth
r,followed. until six had passed. These
last / had not seen, for had not haG
time. AS stood ! thought, as there
were so many | had not seen, maybe
there We're more. / looked way up te
the upper edge of the glade, and there
stood an old fellow looking to see what
had maze the others run. He stood
| with his breast toward me. / drew
down on him; at the crack of my rife
| he ran down in the glade and stopped
| where the first one stood when / first
saw him. "Now you just wait and I'll
try you again when l get my gun load
ed" 1t took me but a very short time
to load, as all my patches were cut and
strung on string to the bullet pouch,
the powder-hOrn, cap-horn, charger
and knife We're all attached to the strap
over the shoulder-everythin conven-
lent for quick work, for sometimes a
hunter has no time to fool away hunt
ing after things to work with. just as
had my gun loaded I saw the deer
begin to stagger, and before could get
to him he had fallen. / drew him up
on large rock close by, and went back
to the field where my brothers were
ploughing out corn, and asked one Of
them to take his horse and go with me,
to bring the buck home, while I went
on hunting to finish out the afternoon.
When night came had killed two deer
and coon. The next morning took
hind quarter of the old buck to my
OLD tutor. When I told him all the
particulars of the hunt, he said, "Ah,
you are my boy" and put his arm
about me and drew me to him. After
that, if he wanted deer. turkey, or
other game, he would always send for
me to go over to see him. Then he
would tell me all his desires, aud I
must always stay to dinner. Ifithap-
pened to be a cloudy day he always
cautioned me not to get turned round.
You must always remember which
way the wind was when you started
out; if you can't tell by the wind, look
on the bodies of the trees; if in the
night, and it is very dark you must
feel OF the bark, and see which side has
the most moss; you will find the large
trees on the north side of the mountain,
and the most moss On tho north side of
the trees. Why? Because the sun
shines on the south side and keeps it
dry; on the north side there is more
moisture, and there the trees are better
and keep moisture, and moss grows
larger; so you see you can tell by feel
ing in the dark. Now, to make good
hunter you must learn all the habits of
the animals, the freaks of nature-in
fact you must become naturalist. A
man can net become a successful hun.
ter until he has learned woodcraft; the
times to feed, the time the game is up
stirring; for wild animals, especially
deer, are very regulartin their habits
The same may be said of squirrels; if
you see them out feeding, as you 60
along, you may be sure deer are out,
too; and then you must exercise pa
tience, 60 slow, look the ground over,
don't look to far ahead. Sometimes a
deer may be in plain sight and looking
at you, while you do not see it. The
old hunters told me, "When you find
deer asleep in his bed aud can kill it
in its bed, you may claim to be hunt
er" And did you ever kill one that
way? Yes, good many I found in
their beds, and they never woke up
[ killed them so dead. In after years,
wien this old man finally sold his farm
to father, and moved away, he had be-
come so broken down as to be almost
helpless. For weeks he would lie in
stupor, except at intervals he would
rouse up for BIS whiskey, that being all
the nourishment he took the last few
months of his life. In his times of
wakefulness he would call often for me.
I would go to see him. A few days be-
fore he died / went to see him; when
he awoke he called me to the bedside,
and, reaching up his arms, put them
about my neck and pulled me down to
him and kissed me on each cheek and
said, "Oh, / love you! You are just
such man as [ was at your age. I
have packed many a five-point buck
for miles; but you see what whiskey
has done for me. Don't, oh, don't you
ever touch it!' Then he drew me
down and kissed me again, and went
off into another doZe. In a few days
he died-died as a fool dieth. And now
when / see SO many of our youth,
young men. men of talent, giving them
selves up TO strong drink, it makes me
feel sad. sad to think we who are made
in the image of God should make such
waste of our lives.
And when / awoke from my reverie
and looked over beautiful Sylvan Lake,